Man arrested in Philadelphia eyed as Delco break-in suspect

Authorities say a Philadelphia man, in custody for assaulting a city police officer, is a prime suspect in a string of burglaries in southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Derrick Carter, 33, is not currently charged with any burglaries in Delaware County, but police in several local jurisdictions believe he may be linked to a number of unsolved daytime break-ins.

There are currently active warrants for Carter's arrest out of Lower Merion for a Nov. 21 break-in and in New Castle County, Del., where he's wanted for two burglaries.

Deputy Police Chief John Livingood of the Abington Township Police Department, one of the lead agencies in a multijurisdictional burglary task force, said that while his department has no warrants for Carter at this time, the investigation is in its early stages.

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"We anticipate more charges will be filed against Mr. Cater in the future from various jurisdictions, including ours," Livingood said. "We believe he's responsible for numerous burglaries."

Carter was arrested by Philadelphia police Monday at his home in the 4600 block of Sheffield Street. Law enforcement officers, including members of the Pennsylvania State Police, had tracked him and an accomplice from Delaware to Swarthmore, into Marple Township and elsewhere on Monday, police said.

At a town meeting in Nether Providence on Tuesday night, Police Chief Thomas Flannery said that while there currently are no arrest warrants for Carter out of his town, there is a "strong possibility" he is responsible for some or all of the seven daytime break-ins since August. Those cases, Flannery said, all have a "very similar M.O. as the other burglaries he's been accused of."

That M.O., according to Livingood, is "daytime, entry by usually by front or rear door, normally pried and jewelry and flat-screen TVs taken."

On Wednesday Flannery said there was another burglary reported earlier this week but it's unclear if it's related to Carter.

"We figure in the last three months we've had seven daytime burglaries very similar in the methods he's been accused of," Flannery said.

Swarthmore Police Chief Brian Craig confirmed his department is investigating several break-ins, including one on Monday on Walnut Lane.

A Pennsylvania State Police trooper flagged down Swarthmore Officer John Stilwell at 1 p.m. Monday and informed him that a task force was investigating a series of burglaries in the area. The task force had received information that the suspects were in the vicinity.

Stilwell and the trooper checked the neighborhood and found a rear door of a house in the 400 block of Walnut Lane had been forced open. The residents were contacted and it was later determined that the house had been burglarized. Craig said it was the second time this year that home had been targeted by burglars.

Craig said the investigation is ongoing, but there is not enough information to file charges at this point. His department is also working with Abington, Pennsylvania State Police and other departments.

Carter has an extensive criminal history dating to 1998. He has numerous convictions for crimes, including manufacturing, delivering controlled substance, carrying firearms without a license, reckless endangerment, false identification to law enforcement and driving under the influence, according to court records.

He was arrested in Philadelphia on burglary and related charges in January, but those charges were dismissed for lack of evidence, court records indicate.